**Okay, I am giving up on putting in the Company Girls Coffee thingy...I can't figure it out, I really need an inhouse techy**
Anyway...that night as I got ready for bed and was going over the events of the day, I thought about that discussion. Isn't that how we so often are in our spiritual walk. God gives us a blessing and we just want more. Thank you for my house...but I really wish it was bigger or nicer or in a better location. My church is great...but the music could be better or the S.S. more fun. I love my husband...but I wish he would listen more, help more, be home more. You get the picture. I never seem to be happy, I always expect just a little more. I twist around His promises and then get put out that He isn't following through. I forget that it isn't all about me.
I often pray very specifically thinking only how something will impact me and feel let down, forgotten, disappointed when my "shopping list" is denied. So, I have really tried to watch my attitude since then, tried to think about the consequences...and it is interesting. This week, we have been under winter weather advisories. Monday evening, the speculation about whether or not school would be cancelled began. I must admit...I wanted school to be cancelled. I wanted to stay home, to sleep late, to take it easy. I so wanted to pray, to actually pray, for a snow day. And then I got on Facebook. I read several entries about how badly people needed to work, needed their kids to go to school, etc. All of a sudden, it wasn't about me. For the first time, in a very long time, I could see the big picture and stop focusing on my little world. Sometimes God says no to me because He is saying yes to someone else. It isn't because I am not important, it isn't because He doesn't care. He does care. He cares enough to tell me no. He sees so far beyond my understanding...and I am so glad. Parenting my four is hard enough...imagine parenting 6 billion or so!
And so, I am sharing with you...because I think sometimes we all feel let down. Sometimes we all wonder if He is really listening or if He really cares. Sometimes we all mix up our expectations with His promises and end up feeling denied, ignored or forgotten. And somehow, it brings me such peace to know that maybe my blessing comes in giving up a blessing for someone else.
By the way, we ended up with not one, but two snow days. Yee-haw!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Snow Day
10 minutes-The amount of time I spent trying to coax children out of bed this morning.
30 seconds-The amount of time it took to get the children to get out of bed as soon as I said, "snow!"
5 minutes-The time it took the children to prepare and eat breakfast so they could go out!
15 minutes-The time it took to find snow worthy clothing to wear out.
1 minute-The time it took to begin making snow angels!
10 minutes-The amount it time it took to decide to start trying to slide down the hill on a garbage can lid.
10 minutes-The amount of time it took to get him to stop screaming after coming inside!
30 seconds-The amount of time it took to get the children to get out of bed as soon as I said, "snow!"
5 minutes-The time it took the children to prepare and eat breakfast so they could go out!
15 minutes-The time it took to find snow worthy clothing to wear out.
1 minute-The time it took to begin making snow angels!
5 seconds-The amount of time it took to figure out that wasn't going to happen!
15 minutes-The amount of time it took Tigercub to figure out he didn't like his first snow!
10 minutes-The amount of time it took to get him to stop screaming after coming inside!30 minutes-of sheer joy as the big kids played in the snow to their hearts' content!
5 minutes-to peel off cold, wet clothes and start drinking hot chocolate!
Forever-The memories of a hard to come by day in the snow in TN!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
What I Learned This Week
Jo-Lynne at Musings of a Housewife is starting a new carnival this week about what you learned over the week. I really hadn't planned on doing this. Because, well that takes a lot of thought and internal searching and I have been trying to do as little as possible of that lately.
However, I am also rather desperate for things to blog about so the need to blog overrides laziness!
So what have I learned this week?
I have learned, through Facebook, that it is incredibly hard to come up with 25 random facts about myself and that I am essentially a very boring person!
I have learned that I LOVE the fact that our school superintendent is from Florida and will cancel school at the mere mention of snow, ice, or even really cold temps. As a result, we are sitting home today (no tutorial) in perfectly fine weather, enjoying a free day and celebrating Tigerfan's birthday!
On a more serious note, I am learning about significance. It is something I have struggled with most of my adult life. Strangely, I was fine with anonymity when I was young. And I actually don't want a lot of attention now. I just want to feel like I have meaning. Like I have accomplished something great! And if I am honest, I want others to notice how great I am (for what, I am not sure). It is why I get down when only 5 people have read my blog in one day or when I think I write something really funny and no one comments. It is why I am scared to say anything in Bible study because if I think it is profound and someone disagrees, I would be mortified. It is why it is so hard for me to embrace the love and acceptance I am freely offered in Christ because I haven't done anything to earn it...so how can He even really notice me. I am struggling to learn, right now, that it is nothing I have done or will ever do that makes God love me. There is no accomplish good enough to earn His acceptance and no mistake bad enough to exclude me. I don't understand how He can create a huge universe and still know my name. But I know He does. I don't understand how I can do so little and be loved so much, but I know I am. So, I am significant. Not because of astounding beauty or great accomplishments or even my stellar wit and writing ability. I am significant because I am His. And that is enough!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Bloggy Award!
I am in a bit of a blogging crisis with a million ideas, but nothing complete to write about and even less that would actually be interesting! I am working on some ideas, but until then I wanted to show you my award I just received from The Mother Load. I LOVE her blog, probably because I can relate to her so much. It is funny and honest and a great read! She has also become one of those "real life" friends I have never actually met, but hope to someday! Anyway, thanks bunches for the award!
This award is officially called The Love Ya Award, and here's why:
"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and befriends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”
I would like to pass this award along to:
CJ, The Purple Diva
Happy Mommy
Growin' With It
Four Little Penguins
This and That
P.S. He Loves You
Adopted As His Own
Okay, I totally know this is only seven, not eight, but in staying with the rules, I wanted to find people who I really connect with and who I actually interact with and these are all I could think of...there are a lot of other great bloggers out there that I read, but don't necessarily...get a response from, if ya know what I mean, so...I'll stick with these sweet bloggers, please go check them out!
And have a great Monday!
This award is officially called The Love Ya Award, and here's why:
"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and befriends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”
I would like to pass this award along to:
CJ, The Purple Diva
Happy Mommy
Growin' With It
Four Little Penguins
This and That
P.S. He Loves You
Adopted As His Own
Okay, I totally know this is only seven, not eight, but in staying with the rules, I wanted to find people who I really connect with and who I actually interact with and these are all I could think of...there are a lot of other great bloggers out there that I read, but don't necessarily...get a response from, if ya know what I mean, so...I'll stick with these sweet bloggers, please go check them out!
And have a great Monday!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Six Years Ago Today....
On a cold, icy morning...a morning when schools had been cancelled do to ice and cold, a VERY pregnant, but not yet ripe me got up at 4:00 a.m. to "use the facilities". I was 35 weeks along, totally unprepared. We had no carseat, no baby book, the baby bed had no bedding. And yet, on that cold morning...my water broke.Stunned, I woke up Tigerfan and we made our way through the icy streets to the hospital. We called grandpartents, dropped off kids and laughed about how shocked and unprepared we were. We laughed as the hospital had to readmit me do to a mistake in the paper work. We laughed when the on call Dr. couldn't figure out how to use the ultra sound machine. But we stopped laughing when they told us the baby appeared to be about 4 pounds and the reality of just how early this was hit!
They decided to go ahead and deliver and began "the drip" Things progressed quickly and by early afternoon, we had a 5 lb 9 oz baby girl who was tiny but healthy as could be!
She was released from the hospital just two days later with instructions to make sure I woke her up every two hours to eat. I totally did. Except at night. Because she was sleeping almost 6 hours and you DON'T wake up a baby who is practically sleeping through the night. Unless she is 5 weeks early. Because, you see, she was sleeping because she had jaundice. Very bad, only I didn't know she was the color of my husband's winter coat until I took her in to the Dr. and got in trouble. For not waking her up every two hours. She then spent the next two or three days in this:
The billibed. After a week of daily pokes to her foot, she got a clean bill of health and has been going non-stop ever since!
I am so grateful for my little girl. Someone to shop with, to play hair and make-up with, to play with me while the boys go hunting. A sweet girl to hug my neck every morning and cuddle with me in bed every night. Someone to play dolls and kitchen with. Someone to bake coookies with. Someone who will help me dress well when I am old. A little angel that calms the storm of loud, rowdy boys. A little Dancer. A Princess.
Happy Birthday, Dancer!
I love you!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A Letter
My Dear Bloggy Friends and Family,
You may have noticed I haven't been around much lately. That would be due to a brief, unplanned blog break brought on by life!
On a positive note, I have been doing pretty well on my goals for the year. I am learning to be a bit more organized around the house and have even gotten back into doing my House Blessing on Mondays! Now, as for zone cleaning, forget about it, it ain't happening. However, I have discovered a wonderful source of housecleaning energy all bottled up in an eleven year old body. It seems a certain Football fan thinks he deserves an allowance. I am good with that but am of the belief that he needs to actually DO something to earn the allowance. He fought a valiant fight trying to convince me that all that hard work in the morning is worth some dough. I was unmovable in my belief that he really shouldn't be paid for getting dressed and brushing his teeth! Okay, he does make his bed and bring down laundry as well, but seriously. He has now decided that good ole hard work might be worth doing for some greenbacks, so now he wanders around the house in his spare time BEGGING for jobs. Of course, I did have to have a little economics lesson about 15 min. of light housework not being worth $5, but we are getting there. My baseboards might actually get wiped down this year!
I have also discovered the single best discipline system ever implemented in this house! Thank you CJ! It involves beans and rice. Yes folks, beans and rice! Each child gets his or her own designated cup that becomes the holder of the sacred beans! 1 bean is awarded for all sorts of things like using good manners or using first time obedience! If I catch one doing something kind or helpful without being asked, it is worth 5, oh yes, you heard me right, 5! On the other hand, if I have to repeat a request or the kids are being argumentative or irritating, they have to put a piece of rice in their cup. At the end of the day, we pour out the cups, take out one bean for every piece of rice they have, and they are awarded one M&M, one Reese's Pieces or one penny for every bean remaining. People...it is AMAZING!!! You would think I was offering little gold nuggets (which I totally would if I had them because I am all about bribing!)! I have never been told yes, Mam so much in all my life. And they will practically kill each other to do something nice. And, when they start arguing, the simple phrase..."go put a piece of rice in your cup!" will silence the argument INSTANTLY! Oh, I know, eventually the novelty will wear off. Eventually, they will tire of M&M's and figure out it takes a lot of pennies to be able to buy something. But maybe, by that time we will have established some good habits that will stay with them. If not, I am considering purchasing a nice padded room (whether for them or me I haven't yet decided).
Anyway, I am still around, and probably lurking on your blog. I will try to be a better little blogger, although Facebook totally is cutting into prime blogging time...have I told you how amazing Facebook is? Hopefully life will slow down enough for me to figure out what happened so I can figure out if you would be interested so I can figure out if I should write about it. Until then...I need material people! Send me your meme's, your ideas, the burning questions on your mind!
Sincerely,
The Little Blogger that Was
You may have noticed I haven't been around much lately. That would be due to a brief, unplanned blog break brought on by life!
On a positive note, I have been doing pretty well on my goals for the year. I am learning to be a bit more organized around the house and have even gotten back into doing my House Blessing on Mondays! Now, as for zone cleaning, forget about it, it ain't happening. However, I have discovered a wonderful source of housecleaning energy all bottled up in an eleven year old body. It seems a certain Football fan thinks he deserves an allowance. I am good with that but am of the belief that he needs to actually DO something to earn the allowance. He fought a valiant fight trying to convince me that all that hard work in the morning is worth some dough. I was unmovable in my belief that he really shouldn't be paid for getting dressed and brushing his teeth! Okay, he does make his bed and bring down laundry as well, but seriously. He has now decided that good ole hard work might be worth doing for some greenbacks, so now he wanders around the house in his spare time BEGGING for jobs. Of course, I did have to have a little economics lesson about 15 min. of light housework not being worth $5, but we are getting there. My baseboards might actually get wiped down this year!
I have also discovered the single best discipline system ever implemented in this house! Thank you CJ! It involves beans and rice. Yes folks, beans and rice! Each child gets his or her own designated cup that becomes the holder of the sacred beans! 1 bean is awarded for all sorts of things like using good manners or using first time obedience! If I catch one doing something kind or helpful without being asked, it is worth 5, oh yes, you heard me right, 5! On the other hand, if I have to repeat a request or the kids are being argumentative or irritating, they have to put a piece of rice in their cup. At the end of the day, we pour out the cups, take out one bean for every piece of rice they have, and they are awarded one M&M, one Reese's Pieces or one penny for every bean remaining. People...it is AMAZING!!! You would think I was offering little gold nuggets (which I totally would if I had them because I am all about bribing!)! I have never been told yes, Mam so much in all my life. And they will practically kill each other to do something nice. And, when they start arguing, the simple phrase..."go put a piece of rice in your cup!" will silence the argument INSTANTLY! Oh, I know, eventually the novelty will wear off. Eventually, they will tire of M&M's and figure out it takes a lot of pennies to be able to buy something. But maybe, by that time we will have established some good habits that will stay with them. If not, I am considering purchasing a nice padded room (whether for them or me I haven't yet decided).
Anyway, I am still around, and probably lurking on your blog. I will try to be a better little blogger, although Facebook totally is cutting into prime blogging time...have I told you how amazing Facebook is? Hopefully life will slow down enough for me to figure out what happened so I can figure out if you would be interested so I can figure out if I should write about it. Until then...I need material people! Send me your meme's, your ideas, the burning questions on your mind!
Sincerely,
The Little Blogger that Was
Friday, January 16, 2009
Ladies Love a Country Man
Okay, this is one of those posts that no one else will be that interested in but me. But it is a cute story that I want to remember, so bear with me.
Tigerfan and I have listened to some country music in our day! I mean, I worked in a music store through H.S. AND we lived in Nashville. Back in the day, we knew a song or two. However, kids, life, etc. have changed that and now we listen to XM kids or Disney radio or Toby Mac...our music is all kid driven.
This Christmas, my SIL introduced F.B. to the world of country music when she began bluetoothing songs from her phone into his new phone he got for Christmas (that is a whole other post!)
Now, he walks around the house playing his 30 second increments of songs saying, "Momma, do you know who sings this?" Which, incidentally brings back horrible childhood memories of a game my little sister used to torture me with...but I won't go there!
Anyway, he has a new found love and appreciation for all things country music!
Yesterday, when we got into the car after tutorial, he asked me if I knew any country songs. I said that I knew LOTS of country songs (although truth be told, at that moment I couldn't think of a single one except "There's a Tear in my Beer" and I wasn't about to start THAT discussion) but that they were all older songs he probably wouldn't know and I wasn't really that familiar with today's country music. He then began playing with his phone. In a minute he said..."Hey mom, is (insert song name) by Rascal Flatts country music? I answered that it was.
His response, "Cool, can I call Froggy 104 and request they play it?"
It seems that on Tuesday, one of his friends put the number of the local country station in his contacts list on his phone and told him you could call in and request songs. They tried it out and he heard his own voice over the airwaves...and now...he is drunk with power! Where will this lead next?
Tigerfan and I have listened to some country music in our day! I mean, I worked in a music store through H.S. AND we lived in Nashville. Back in the day, we knew a song or two. However, kids, life, etc. have changed that and now we listen to XM kids or Disney radio or Toby Mac...our music is all kid driven.
This Christmas, my SIL introduced F.B. to the world of country music when she began bluetoothing songs from her phone into his new phone he got for Christmas (that is a whole other post!)
Now, he walks around the house playing his 30 second increments of songs saying, "Momma, do you know who sings this?" Which, incidentally brings back horrible childhood memories of a game my little sister used to torture me with...but I won't go there!
Anyway, he has a new found love and appreciation for all things country music!
Yesterday, when we got into the car after tutorial, he asked me if I knew any country songs. I said that I knew LOTS of country songs (although truth be told, at that moment I couldn't think of a single one except "There's a Tear in my Beer" and I wasn't about to start THAT discussion) but that they were all older songs he probably wouldn't know and I wasn't really that familiar with today's country music. He then began playing with his phone. In a minute he said..."Hey mom, is (insert song name) by Rascal Flatts country music? I answered that it was.
His response, "Cool, can I call Froggy 104 and request they play it?"
It seems that on Tuesday, one of his friends put the number of the local country station in his contacts list on his phone and told him you could call in and request songs. They tried it out and he heard his own voice over the airwaves...and now...he is drunk with power! Where will this lead next?
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